Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-10-15
THE TRAIN DISPATCHER.
A Man Who Holds the Lie Of Ever
 Tasseaser in His Hand


 A Man Who Holds the Life of Every
 Passenger in His Hand
 There !s a class of railway employes, almost entirely unknown to passengers whose responsibility is sO much gre3,er, and whose slightest omission might ieopardlze the lives cf people on trains more than any oversight on the part oi conductors or engineers, that it is indeed strange that they are so seldom mentioned i'm the public prints. This class is the train dispatchers, whose every order IS implicitly obeycd by trainmen; and while the crew of one train is responsible for the movements of that tram alone, the dis hatcher holds in his hands the lives of every individual on every train on the road; and on a road having large traffic the duties imposed on him are very great and artluous.
 His position in the railway service is unique; were all trains running on time and provided for on the periodical time table issued by the company, he would have no duties to perform; hut trains will get delayed and occasions will arise re- quiring extra trains, or trains without any specified time or rights, to be run over the road, and then his services are neces- sary to avoid hours 0f delay.
 All trains on railroads are divided in classes, according Co their importance; generally two, passenger and freight and all trains of one class running in a specified direction have the right of the road, or need keep no lookout for trains Of the same or lower class running m the opposite direction. Thus it is assumed that on a certain railroad trains running eastward have the right Cf way over trains running westward; then an east bound passenger train can run the whole leugi4 4 of the road in entire disregard Cf all trains. another passenger train going west ncci only tO look out for the east bound lgs- sengcr train. while the freight trains must keep out Of the way Of both pas-gn- ger trains and of the freight train which k running in the direction prescribed i,s having the right of road.
 Every one understands that nIl trains are chartered, or have 6 time given for passing each station. which time can in no instance be anticipated, and hence all trainmen know where all other trains ought to be at any particular moment, | on time; but Rs trains frequently and gen erally get late, the train of inferior class must have its movement expedited by some eXtrnneous cause. or it may hc de- layed for hours awaiting q train that may have been wrecked, or has been kept hack 1 some other of many cau-cs. Then the Guties of the train dispatcher are Of im- portance. He will probably give an order to the delayed train by telegraph direct ing it not tO go beyond certain place which he thinks it can reach without diff iicClty, and he directs the opposing train to proceed 10 the same place and there pass the other train, and iu that manner the trains are enabled to pass each other without any delay Co either. His great responsibility consists in that he may have dozen other trains in his charge ut the same time, and in directing one train 70 go beyond it's usual place Co meet another he may neglsct Co give an order Co the second train, and in such an event coli sion would probably ensue. much prop erty be destroyed and probably lives be lost.
 It will readily be seen that the slightest mistake of train dispatcher might cause serious results; and in this respect his re- spOnSibility k probably greater than that Of any other individual under whose charge the public are placyd.-Philadel phia Times.